Pin for hiding an item

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for securing a small item to clothing includes an elongated pin being needle slim, having a hook end and a free end. A mechanism at the hook end of the elongated pin is for mounting the elongated pin to the small item, whereby the elongated pin can be retained to the clothing for holding and hiding the small item thereto. The length of the elongated pin  116  is from three to five times the length of the mounting mechanism.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of Provisional Patent Application No. 61/242,142, filed on Sep. 14, 2009, in the United States Patent & Trademark Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to attachment pins, and more particularly, an apparatus for securing a small item to under clothing.

The apparatus is used for carrying various small items on clothing. The present invention allows each small item to be secured by an elongated pin to both the inside and outside of clothing. The apparatus will enable individuals to carry each small item securely and discreetly at any angle, avoiding the unwanted attention of passer-bys. The small diameter of the elongated pin will not damage the clothing and allows it to be attached to the seams of pant legs, shirtsleeves, inside jacket pockets, and more. The apparatus is ideal for carrying the various small items, such as folding knives, but can also be used to secure small firearms, flashlights, pens, phones, screwdrivers and other lightweight items.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Many individuals use a clipping mechanism to secure their knife or gun to their waistband. These clips are fully visible and often draw attention to the individual. The current clips must be attached to a beltline or pocket, which causes the butt of the weapon to show. They do not offer complete concealment and cause the individual wearing the clip to feel uncomfortable. The clips only allow the knife or gun to be carried at one angle, which is not always convenient. A more discreet method is needed.

Numerous innovations for holding clips have been provided in the prior art that will be described. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, however, they differ from the present invention.

A FIRST EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,129, Issued on Jan. 6, 1998, to Glesser teaches a knife having a reversible clip for securing the knife to a user. The clip is advantageously reversible so that the knife can be mounted in the position most comfortable for the user. The clip can be easily reversed and is designed to reduce undesirable rotation of the clip and also to provide a lanyard hole for otherwise securing the knife to the user or another supporting member.

A SECOND EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,799,400, Issued on Sep. 1, 1998, to Glesser teaches a folding knife having an aperture positioned at or near the pivot point of the knife blade and knife handle to receive a lanyard for removable attachment to a user of the folding knife or other object.

A THIRD EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 6,213,364, Issued on Apr. 10, 2001, to Wakefield teaches a rigid appendage fastening means that may be adapted to mount an apparatus that is commonly possessed and carried by law enforcement officers, military personnel and civilians, who are licensed to do so, diurnally. The appendage fastening means is specifically designed to be mounted to those items that the user intends to keep hidden from the view of a casual observer. The device's primary design characteristic is that of a loosely formed sigmate. The principal object is camouflaged to suit the user's apparel, thereby enhancing the device's covert characteristics and applications. The device provides the user with a secure environment to place an item inside the waistband (IWB) and below the belt line (BBL). Objects of appropriate size and utility, which have the principal object mounted to them, can be secreted upon the user's person IWB. The object remains IWB, BBL with Total Concealment (TC), easily accessible, safe, secure, and immediately available for use. The invention is ergonomically designed so as not to restrict a user's freedom of movement, or range of motion.

A FOURTH EXAMPLE, U.S. Patent Office Publication No. 2009/0188115, Published on Jul. 30, 2009, to Deursen teaches a snap-off knife, having a metal sleeve, a blade contained within the metal sleeve and slidably extendable through a first terminal end of the metal sleeve, and a cap having a cavity such that the cap is capable of fitting over the first terminal end of the metal sleeve from which the blade extends. The metal sleeve also has an open section for allowing a slide button to move along the open section of the metal sleeve in a direction parallel to the direction that the blade extends and retracts. The cap has a narrow slot for placing over the exposed portion of the blade while the blade is being snapped off by the user. The cap is capable of fitting over a second terminal end of the metal sleeve located opposite the first terminal end.

A FIFTH EXAMPLE, U.S. Patent Office Publication No. 2009/0241345, Published on Oct. 1, 2009, to Huang teaches a utility knife which includes a handle and an actuator pivotably secured to the rear end of the handle and served as an auxiliary handgrip. In a storage position the actuator is fastened at the bottom of the handle. The actuator is adapted to dispose about perpendicular to the handle by pivoting such that subsequently moving the actuator axially through an axial slot of the handle will extend front portions of a blade and a blade carrier out of the handle. In this position, a user can exert a greater force in cutting an object by grasping both the handle and the handgrip.

It is apparent now that numerous innovations for holding clips have been provided in the prior art that are adequate for various purposes. Furthermore, even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, accordingly, they would not be suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

AN OBJECT of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for securing a small item to clothing that avoids the disadvantages of the prior art.

ANOTHER OBJECT of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for securing a small item to clothing that is simple and inexpensive to manufacture.

STILL ANOTHER OBJECT of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for securing a small item to clothing that is simple to use.

BRIEFLY STATED, STILL YET ANOTHER OBJECT of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for securing a small item to clothing comprises an elongated pin being needle slim, having a hook end and a free end. A mechanism at the hook end of the elongated pin is for mounting the elongated pin to the small item, whereby the elongated pin can be retained to the clothing for holding the small item thereto.

The novel features which are considered characteristic of the present invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of the specific embodiments when read and understood in connection with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The figures of the drawings are briefly described as follows:

FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing the present invention placed in a box;

FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing the present invention ready to be installed on a folding knife;

FIG. 2 is a side view taken in the direction of arrow 2 in FIG. 1B, showing the present invention installed on the folding knife;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view, with parts broken away, showing the present invention installed on the folding knife located in a lapel, in a pocket and in a sleeve of a jacket;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view, with parts broken away, of the dotted area indicated by arrow 4 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view, with parts broken away, showing the present invention installed on a screwdriver located in a front portion of a waistband of a pair of pants;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view, with parts broken away, showing the present invention installed on a phone located in a pocket of the pair of pants; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view, with parts broken away, showing the present invention installed on the folding knife located in a rear portion of the waistband and on a small firearm located in a pant leg of the pair of pants.

REFERENCE NUMERALS UTILIZED IN THE DRAWING

-   -   110 apparatus     -   112 small item     -   114 clothing     -   116 elongated pin of apparatus 110     -   118 hook end of elongated pin 116     -   120 free end of elongated pin 116     -   122 mounting mechanism of apparatus 110     -   124 spring-like durable material for elongated pin 116     -   126 small arched bow on elongated pin 116     -   128 flat base plate of mounting mechanism 122     -   129 adhesive pad of mounting mechanism 122     -   130 fastener of mounting mechanism 122     -   132 durable material for flat base plate 128     -   134 durable material for fastener 130     -   135 folding knife for small item 112     -   136 pant leg of a pair of pants 144     -   137 sleeve of jacket 140     -   138 pocket of jacket 140     -   139 lapel of jacket 140     -   140 jacket of clothing 114     -   142 waistband of pair of pants 144     -   144 pair of pants of clothing 114     -   146 small firearm for small item 112     -   150 phone for small item 112     -   152 screwdriver for small item 112     -   154 box for holding apparatus 110

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the figures, in which like numerals indicate like parts, and particularly to FIGS. 1A through 7, and as such, will be discussed with reference thereto.

As in FIGS. 1-4, the present invention is an apparatus 110 for securing and hiding a small item 112 to under clothing 114 that comprises an elongated pin 116 being needle slim, having a hook end 118 and a free end 120. A mechanism 122 at the hook end 118 of the elongated pin 116 is for mounting the elongated pin 116 to the small item 112, whereby the elongated pin 116 can be retained to the clothing 114 for holding the small item 112 thereto.

The elongated pin 116 is comprised out of a spring-like durable material 124, such as metal or plastic. The elongated pin 116 further comprises a small arched bow 126 formed near the free end 120 to allow the elongated pin 116 to easily engage with the clothing 114.

The mounting mechanism 122 comprises a flat base plate 128. An adhesive pad 129 is on the underside of the base plate 128 for attaching the flat base plate 128 to the small item 112. The mounting mechanism 122 also contains a plurality of fasteners 130 for also attaching the flat base plate 128 to the small item 112. The flat base plate 128 is comprised out of a durable material 132. Each fastener 130 is comprised out of a durable material (e.g. plastic or metal 134).

In summary the apparatus 110 is similar to the ambidextrous clips found on folding knives and smaller frame handguns. The present invention uses an elongated pin 116 made of a durable spring-like material 124, instead of a flat clip. The elongated pin 116 is needle slim to add friction to keep the small item 112 in place. The apparatus 110 has a flat base plate 128 for mounting to the small item 112, such as a folding knife 135. The apparatus 110 is mounted to the small item 112 when there is a need for a pin to hide the item under the clothing. The elongated pin 116 has a small arched bow 126 near the free end 120 to allow it to easily engage with the clothing 114. To add stability, the elongated pin 116 may be penetrated through a piece of the clothing 114 multiple times. As shown in FIG. 1A, the apparatus 110 can be placed in a box 154 to be sold in any retail store. The buyer can purchase and stick the pin to any items that the buyer wants.

The elongated pin 116 may be inserted at any angle in the clothing 114, such as vertically along a French seam down a pant leg 136, a sleeve 137, inside a pocket 138 and a lapel 139 of a jacket 140, or horizontally inside the waistband 142 of a pair of pants 144. The elongated pin 116 mainly is used to attach the small item 112 to the inside of the clothing 114 if desired. The user may insert the elongated pin 116 in any accommodating location. The length of the elongated pin 116 is from three (03) to five (05) times the length of the mounting mechanism 122. The length of the elongated pin 116 is from one to five inches. The small diameter 1 mm to 3 mm of the elongated pin 116 will not damage the clothing 114. As shown in FIGS. 3-7, it is designed to carry the folding knife 135, but may be used to hold small firearms 146, pens, phones 150, flashlights, screwdrivers 152 and other lightweight items as well.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodiments of an apparatus for securing a small item to clothing, accordingly it is not limited to the details shown, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention. 

1. An apparatus for securing and hiding a small item to clothing which comprises: a) an elongated pin being needle slim, having a hook end and a free end; b) means, at the hook end of the elongated pin, for mounting the elongated pin to the small item, whereby the elongated pin can be retained to the clothing for holding the small item thereto, and c) wherein the length of the elongated pin is from three (03) to five (05) times the length of the mounting means.
 2. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the elongated pin is comprised out of a spring-like durable material and about 1-5 inches in length.
 3. The apparatus as recited in claim. 1, wherein the elongated pin further comprises a small arched bow formed near the free end to allow the elongated pin to easily engage with the clothing.
 4. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the mounting means comprises: a) a flat base plate; b) an adhesive pad on underside of the flat base plate for attaching the flat base plate to the small item; and c) a plurality of fasteners for also attaching the flat base plate to the small item.
 5. The apparatus as recited in claim 4, wherein the flat base plate is comprised out of a durable material such as metal.
 6. The apparatus as recited in claim 4, wherein each the fastener is comprised out of a durable material such as metal.
 7. The apparatus as recited in claim 4, wherein the flat base plate is comprised out of a durable material such as plastic.
 8. The apparatus as recited in claim 4, wherein each the fastener is comprised out of a durable material such as plastic. 